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Focus Malaysia
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Baby of all rallies: A walk in the sunshine and a shower in the noon
IN the end, the 'Turun Anwar' campaign fizzled out in a whimper. It was all fireworks and nothing substantial was achieved. The people came, saw, made some noise and dispersed—and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is still firmly ensconced in Putrajaya. If you believe PAS, the turnout was massive and impressive—more than 300,000 took to the streets to vent their anger on Anwar, making into the record book as the 'mother of all rallies'. If you trust the police (which is more credible), only about 18,000 people showed up, making it the 'baby of all rallies'. For PAS, the numbers game is crucial to its strategy of using numerical strength to bolster its campaign to oust the prime minister. If 300,000 poured onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur, it means the message to Anwar is loud, clear, and unequivocal: you must resign because the people have spoken. And if one million (PAS original target) rally-goers had indeed descended on the capital, then the Islamist party would not rest until Putrajaya sees a new prime minister. The campaign will probably intensify with more rallies in the pipeline in the mistaken belief that the opposition had gained the upper hand from this show of strength, and must press forward its advantage. But did this PAS-inspired rally shake the foundation of the government? Will Anwar fall tomorrow? As the drama unfolded, there were the usual speakers who are considered the 'stars' of the show and whose presence was supposed to rouse the crowd to fever pitch of excitement. There was the Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin disparaging the RM100 financial handout because more aid should go to the poorer people. Never mind the wealthy class, like him, who don't need it at all. Perhaps, Muhyiddin is too embarrassed to take the peanut. And there is the evergreen Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who took his case to the people's court over the Pulau Batu Puteh issue. Expert at toppling prime ministers, the centenarian has nothing but contempt for Anwar for allegedly committing many wrongs. The sight of this indefatigable warrior walking hand in hand with the crowd unaided must surely stir the admiration and sympathy of the nation but the 'Father of Disorder' is just not making any waves at all given his racial rhetoric. Then there is the composition of the crowd: who are these rally-goers drawn towards this political siren song to Dataran Merdeka? Do they represent the majority of Malaysians? One cannot help but feel that the protesters were mostly PAS members who thronged the city because the rally had assumed the character of a religious crusade. There might be a smattering of 'others' in the milling crowd but they were inconsequential. Their presence could be dismissed as just mere tokenism. Street battles in some countries have resulted in the overthrow of governments but in Malaysia a change of government has always been fought through the battles of the ballot box. If Anwar must go, he must exit through a constitutional process. He must bow down only to the wishes of the voters of Malaysia—and not to the demands of street protesters. If anything, 'Turun Anwar' is just a walk in the sunshine and a shower in the noon. ‒ July 28, 2025 Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: HarakahDaily
Focus Malaysia
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Nga Kor Ming chastises ‘Turun Anwar' rally-goers for littering; trolled to 'stop talking rubbish'
Editor's Note: Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming had in the Dewan Rakyat today (July 28) stood by his statement that 20 metric tonnes of rubbish were left scattered following Saturday's (July 26) PAS-inspired 'Turun Anwar' rally. He went on to attribute the data to the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) which carried out the clean-up after the rally ended. THE fallout from the 'Turun Anwar' rally over the weekend has begun. Not with a dramatic stepping down of PMX but rather the more prosaic need to clean up after exercising one's democratic rights. This came about as Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming slammed the actions of rally participants who threw garbage everywhere, thus causing inconvenience to sanitation workers. Through a post on the X platform, the Teluk Intan MP stressed that due to the irresponsible actions of the opposition supporters, the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) had to work hard to clean up the mess left behind. Selaku Menteri yg menjaga agensi pembersihan awam @swcorp_my,saya berasa amat kesal dgn kelakuan PN yg kotor & membuang sampah di merata tempat. Krjn Madani meraikan demokrasi & tiada halangan dgn perhimpunan aman tapi tolonglah jaga kebersihan. Jangan memalukan negara. Faham? — Nga Kor Ming (@NgaKorMing) July 26, 2025 'As the Minister in charge of the public cleaning agency, I feel very sorry for the dirty behaviour of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and the dumping of garbage everywhere,' he remarked on Saturday (July 26). 'The Madani government celebrates democracy and there is no obstacle to peaceful assemblies, but please maintain cleanliness. Don't embarrass the country.' It was claimed that 20 metric tonnes or 20,000kg of rubbish was left behind by the participants of the gathering. The opposition's response was sharp and swift, accusing Nga instead of twisting the facts and being quite poor at maths! According to PAS information chief Fadhli Shaari, if the claim was true, it would have put the attendance closer to 200,000 participants rather than 20,000. As expected, battle lines were drawn with commenter's party loyalties clearly on display. Nga's ropey calculations were called into question by various commenters with many asking how the DAP national deputy chairman derived such a figure. The cops after all had placed the attendance in the region of 18,000 protesters. Many netizens also highlighted the brazen hypocrisy, citing the damage caused at previous rallies that were pro-Pakatan Harapan (PH) in nature. More than a few highlighted the damaged police vehicle at a previous BERSIH rally (in 2011). Electoral disgruntlement was obvious with plenty of commenters asking Nga if there were no other issues to highlight. The recent gas explosion at Putra Heights, Selangor was a glaring example of a pertinent issue that needed to be discussed but could have conveniently swept under the carpet. Comments on the PAS lawmaker's Facebook page was even more scathing with many calling for Nga and the Madani administration to step down. One commenter argued that PH coalition's attitudes has not changed whether they were in opposition or in Putrajaya. Of course, racist comments are never far off whenever a DAP politician speaks with one equating the 'fight' against the 'communists' as some sort of jihad (martyrdom). It accused these 'communists' as always looking for opportunities to 'betray the Malays and seize the country'. Few things this storm-in-a-teacup highlights. The stench of hypocrisy is always prevalent. As rightly pointed out, the damage and mess caused by earlier pro-PH rallies were just as bad, if not worse. Secondly, didn't Nga's PR team brief him on the maths? His claims would inadvertently place a lot more protestors at the scene, surely not something he was aiming for. Last not least, when will Malaysians learn to focus on the pertinent issue at hand? Criticise him by all means for talking rubbish (pun fully intended) but not because of his ethnicity. – July 28, 2025
Focus Malaysia
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Zaid snubbed for turncoat tendency after owing up to UMNO for showing up at ‘Turun Anwar' rally
FORMER de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has found himself trolled by Madani government backers that he is unwanted by UMNO after he 'proudly' admitted having attended Saturday's (July 26) Turun Anwar rally. This came about after UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated the likelihood of an internal probe on party members who attended the PAS-inspired event at Dataran Merdeka. According to Zahid who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, UMNO as a component of the unity alliance firmly adheres to the principle of supporting and strengthening the Madani government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 'I want to see first who is present. My team and I will ask why they are present. We want to know the reason for their presence there,' he had told a media conference after officiating the Raub Division UMNO representative meeting in Raub, Pahang yesterday (July 27). This statement promoted the opposition-slant Zaid who became an UMNO member 'by default' while he served as the defence attorney momentarily for incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak to owe up without any second thought. 'Well, let me make it easy for them: I was there. Not only that; I gave speeches too,' he penned on X. Heard that Umno is now checking on members who took part in the 26 July Rally. Well, let me make it easy for them: I was there. Not only that; I gave speeches too. But I didn't say anything I haven't already written and spoken about for months; about the unbearable cost of… — Zaid Ibrahim (@zaidibrahim) July 27, 2025 'But I didn't say anything I haven't already written and spoken about for months; about the unbearable cost of living, the burdensome taxes and how the Madani government has failed the rakyat.' In his self-defence, Zaid further stressed that he did not lie nor 'betray anyone' by virtue of joining the rally. 'I didn't promise not to work with DAP or Anwar, only to turn around and do the opposite,' he cynically justified. 'I didn't participate in the charade about the hidden addendum. If speaking the truth is now a punishable offence in UMNO, then perhaps they should look at themselves in the mirror before judging others.' This is when brickbats were hurled at Zaid for assuming that he is an asset in UMNO when the actual fact is that 'you're irrelevant'. 'Do you seriously think UMNO need you?' wondered one commenter. 'I wanted to tell you to grow up but can you? You're like an 'old turkey' with tough meat that can't be softened even if boiled with papaya roots. LOL.' Others chided him by criticising him for his frog-like nature of 'leaping from one party to another' while 'playing all sides'. As such, his presence or absence from UMNO is immaterial if his heart lies in the struggle of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition. The bottom line, as some commenters aptly put it, is for Zaid who had also been previously associated with DAP, KITA (Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air) and PKR to have the decency to just quit UMNO if he feels that he cannot longer toe the party's line. – July 28, 2025 Main image credit: Wan Ahmad Fayhsal/Facebook
Focus Malaysia
a day ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Veteran journo: Actual dethroning of PMX needs greater momentum than July 26 ‘Turun Anwar' rally
STRIKE while the iron is hot. Saturday's PAS-inspired Turun Anwar (July26) rally alone – whether it attracted 300,000 as claimed by the party's mouthpiece HarakahDaily or Malaysiakini (25,000) and the police (18,000) – is insufficient to force Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to vacate his premiership. Henceforth, if the opposition is serious about forcing PMX to step down, they need 'to act quickly and in a serial manner' for 'a hot iron will not become a keris if it is truck only once'. 'They (the opposition) need to continue to build momentum from the Turun Anwar campaign especially when Anwar himself has 'challenged' them to do so,' penned veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin in his latest Facebook post. 'He recently stated that he would not prevent any gathering or criticism of his leadership, including demands for him to resign as long as they are made democratically whether through elections or a no-confidence motion in Parliament. 'Anwar will not fall nor step down because protests are not a legal channel that can topple or force a PM to resign.' On this note, Kadir reiterated his observation that while the Turun Anwar rally alone is unlikely to dethrone PMX, a successful aftermath can rub off on MPs to vote him out. 'Only Parliament and the public vote can bring down a PM or he himself has committed a serious legal offence,' justified the former group editor-in-chief of mainstream New Straits Times. 'Not to mention Anwar who is famous for street protests since the days of the campus revolution in the 1970s. By default, he himself may even stage a counter Kekal Anwar (literally, 'Stay on Anwar') rally.' Even if advances by the opposition and civil society movements through the Turun Anwar protests is capable of forcing the government to call an early general election, detractors must openly state who they have in mind as PMX's successor if their efforts are to be successful, according to Kadir. 'They must state their PM candidate authentically and firmly,' asserted the national journalism laureate objectively even though Madani backers tend to associate him as a loyalist to twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is now an adviser of Perikatan Nasional (PN). On a bigger picture, Kadir opined that the economic woes that are burdening man-on-the-street Malaysians are caused by PMX's over-reliance on technocrats and corporate figures 'who are detached from the general public'. 'They're an elite focused on profit and loss, taxes and revenue,' observed Kadir who started his journalistic stint with national news agency Bernama in 1969 prior to joining the Economic Desk in 1976. 'The issue of the common people suffering is not their problem. That's the problem of politicians. For them, if they succeed in creating strong economic fundamentals and obtaining recognition from international rating agencies, their job would have been done. 'Anwar, on the other hand, suffers from a 'handicap' because he is considered to not have sufficient basic economic education (PMX is a Malay literature graduate). 'In conclusion, whoever takes over the PM's reign, the key challenge is sustainable economic management accompanied by a more equitable distribution of wealth.' – July 28, 2025
Focus Malaysia
2 days ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
PMX extends olive branch to ‘Turun Anwar rally-goers': Have a safe journey home, be back to visit KL's historical sites
WITHOUT even attempting to dispute or downplay exorbitant claims of a '500,000 turnout' at yesterday's (July 26) PAS-inspired Turun Anwar rally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has instead wished outstation attendees a safe return to their respective destinations. With a tinge of sarcasm, he even reminded them to return to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in the future as domestic tourists in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY 2026). This came about as PMX expressed his gratitude to all security personnel – from the police, firefighters, medical teams to volunteers – who have served with agility, discipline and high dedication to ensure public safety and order as well as the smooth running of the rally. 'To all attendees – whether voicing opinions, showing solidarity or coming from afar – I wish you a safe return to your respective destinations. May your journeys be eased and protected,' penned PMX on all his social media pages. Saya rakamkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan kepada semua petugas pasukan keselamatan; dari polis, bomba, pasukan perubatan dan sukarelawan yang telah bertugas dengan ketangkasan, disiplin dan dedikasi yang tinggi menjamin keselamatan dan ketenteraman awam serta memastikan… — Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) July 26, 2025 'And if you have the opportunity in the future, don't forget to return to KL. Historical landmarks around the capital, including the Sultan Abdul Samad Building at Dataran Merdeka is currently undergoing large-scale preservation to boost tourism and support the economy in the Federal capital in conjunction with VMY 2026.' On a more serious note, PMX who is also the Finance Minister reiterated that he remains steadfast and consistent in upholding democratic principles, namely freedom of speech and the right to express criticism. Peaceful rally 'Criticism and differing views should not be seen through the lens of hostility; rather, they should continue to flourish and thrive as the heartbeat of a mature, progressive and sovereign nation,' he asserted. 'What matters is that it must proceed in an orderly, peaceful manner and in the spirit of love for the homeland.' At the same time, PMX also subtly took a jibe at opposition leaders with tendency to absent from Dewan Rakyat proceedings. 'The same principle has been instilled through the Prime Minister's Question Time (PMQT) session in Parliament whereby MPs are free to directly pose any questions and raise objections to me as PM,' he justified. Thank you Awani sebab sebut puluh ribu je 🤣#TurunAnwar — Kak Ton (@AzfarinazAmran) July 26, 2025 'I urge you to continue pressing MPs to actively participate in all sessions, especially the PMQT.' Though his gesture of extending an olive branch received widespread praises from Madani backers with some even described it as 'masterclass', those who are more neutral reminded PMX that the opposition deserved to be credited for staging a truly peaceful and civilised rally 'unlike the past when even the police car was overturned'. 'As promised by the organisers, the purpose of the rally is not to bring down the government of the day or to stage a riot and far from damaging public assets, but simply to ask the PM to resign,' recounted s commenter. 'This action is completely different from the previous street protest groups such as BERSIH and anti-government (anti-BN) groups.' While praising PMX for his goodwill gesture to the opposition, another commenter apologised for having to caution PMX before 'matters fall further astray'. 'Please don't take the rakyat's opinions and voices lightly. Don't listen to the bootlickers around you. Keep working for Malaysia. ✨' – July 27, 2025
